Stevie Wonder

Stevland Hardaway Morris was born in Saginaw, Michigan, and shortly after birth became blind; he showed musical ability early, learning harmonica, piano and drums by age nine and signing with Motown’s Tamla label as a child under the name Little Stevie Wonder (making his recording debut around age 11). His first major hit was the live single 'Fingertips, Pt. 2,' and through the 1960s he established himself with hits such as 'Uptight (Everything's Alright),' 'My Cherie Amour,' and 'For Once in My Life.' In the late 1960s and especially the 1970s Wonder asserted creative control over his music and produced a run of critically and commercially acclaimed albums—Talking Book (1972), Innervisions (1973), Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974) and Songs in the Key of Life (1976)—that combined soulful songwriting, social commentary, and pioneering use of synthesizers and electronic instruments. Several of these albums won Album of the Year Grammys, and they solidified his reputation as one of the most innovative artists of the era. Through the 1980s and beyond Wonder continued to enjoy chart success (including the worldwide hit 'I Just Called to Say I Love You,' which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song) and remained active as a collaborator, advocate and technophile—he became an early adopter and supporter of technology for the blind, including association with the Kurzweil reading machine. Over his career he has sold more than 100 million records worldwide and has been inducted into multiple halls of fame; he has also been active in social causes such as the campaign to make Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a national holiday.